Pinza and Sir Gordon Richards Michael Church Racing Books Michael Church Racing Books Michael Church has a worldwide reputation as an authority on the history of Thoroughbred breeding. Apart from his lineage chart compilations of the Derby, 2,000 Guineas and Champion Sires, he has also written a dozen books, including the highly acclaimed, The Classic Pedigree, Dams of Classic Winners, and The Derby Stakes. Pinza and Sir Gordon Richards Pinza and Sir Gordon Richards As we celebrate The Queen’s 60th anniversary, I should like to recall the events of the Coronation Derby. A race in which her first Derby runner, Aureole, finished second to Pinza. A few days before the 1953 Derby, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II conferred a knighthood on Gordon Richards for his services to racing. On Derby Day, Sir Gordon was to make his 28th and final attempt to win the race, this time on Pinza, a powerful bay of 16.1 hands by the French stayer Chanteur out of Pasqua, by Donatello.

Bred by Fred Darling, Pinza was sold as a yearling to Sir Victor Sassoon at the Newmarket Sales for 1,500 guineas. Sent to Newmarket trainer Norman Bertie, although backward as a two-year-old, Pinza won two of his four starts, concluding with an impressive five lengths victory in the Dewhurst Stakes. He was allotted 9st 2lb in the Free Handicap, 5lb less than the Middle Park winner Nearula. Slow to recover from a fall on gravel in the winter, Pinza missed the Guineas and returned in mid-May to win the Newmarket Stakes in a canter. After which, his Derby price was immediately cut from 33-1 to 8-1. Derby Day was hot and sunny and the crowd, reported to be more than half-a-million, had been swelled by the thousands who had come to London for the Coronation earlier in the week. The Queen’s runner Aureole, having won the Lingfield Derby Trial, had been a leading fancy for some weeks, but after sweating up in the preliminaries drifted out to 9-1.

Joint-favourites at 5-1 were Pinza and Aureole’s stable companion Premonition, winner of the Great Northern Stakes at York. Also in contention was the Two Thousand Guineas winner Nearula, who had missed a vital week of preparation and was now offered at 10-1. The 27 runners on their way, Shikampur took an early lead and coming down the hill he was four lengths clear of Victory Roll and Mountain King, with Pinza close up. Around Tattenham Corner, Richards, finding an opening on the rails, moved Pinza into second place. Once in the straight, Charlie Smirke continued to ride out Shikampur, but Pinza closed rapidly and swept by two furlongs out. In the final stages, Aureole made steady progress on the outside, but by now it was too late and the deafening cheers from the distance told the tale – Gordon Richards had finally won the Derby. To all those who witnessed the occasion (including the author) it was a never-to-be-forgotten day. Aureole was second, four lengths away, with Pink Horse running on in third and the gallant Shikampur fourth.

After the weigh-in the Queen sent for the winning jockey to offer her congratulations. Sir Gordon Richards (1904-1986), one of a family of 12 children, was born at Donnington Wood, near Oakengates in Shropshire, where his father was a coal miner. Gordon served his apprenticeship with Martin Hartigan at Foxhill and rode his first winner on Jimmy White’s Gay Lord at Leicester on 16 October, 1920. He was Champion Jockey for the first time in 1925 and, in 1933, made the front pages of every Daily newspaper when beating Fred Archer’s record of 146 winners in a season. A modest, dedicated man of great integrity, Gordon Richards was the undisputed hero of those who followed racing for the first half of the 20th century, and his Derby victory on Pinza the most popular of that period. In 1954, when leaving the paddock at Sandown, the filly Abergeldie reared up and fell over backwards on top of Richards, breaking his pevis and dislocating four ribs.

The following year, fully recovered, he trained from Beckhampton, later moving first to Ogbourne-Maizey and then to Whitsbury in Hampshire, with Scobie Breasley as stable jockey. Gordon Richards was Champion Jockey 26 times and from 21,834 mounts rode 4,870 winners. His 14 Classic winners included Tudor Minstrel (1947 Two Thousand Guineas) and Sun Chariot (1942 fillies’ Triple Crown). Returning to Pinza, in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he again beat Aureole, this time by three lengths. However, shortly afterwards, he broke down and never raced again. Syndicated at a value of £200,000, he retired to stud. With the exception of Pinturischio, who was sensationally, twice poisoned when favourite for the 1961 Derby, Pinza never produced a horse equal to himself. He died in 1977 and is buried at Woodditton Stud, Newmarket.

Sir Gordon Richards Sir Gordon Richards Pinza winning the 1953 Derby Classics winners ridden by Singapore Tehran Had there ever been an occasion quite like this? The crowd that had gathered at Epsom that day had swelled to a quite incredible number. The Derby, one of the five gems known as "The Classics," was the most important race in the flat racing calendar, open only to three-year old thoroughbreds. The race always attracted a big crowd, but this year's event was more popular than ever. Earlier in the week, to great rejoicing, the Kingdom had crowned its new Queen in Westminster Abbey. The Queen, a great racing fan herself, was to attend the Derby and her horse, Aureole would run as one of the favourites. That same week, Gordon Richards had been made a Knight of the Realm, the only jockey ever to attain the honour. A career that had made him the most successful British flat jockey of all time, Sir Gordon was to ride in his last ever Derby, a race he had never won. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric, and their loyalties were divided between supporting Royalty and the peoples hero, who may just have well have been Royalty in their eyes that day.

Pinza was to be Sir Gordon's horse for the Derby. A high-spirited colt, he was considered unfit for Newmarket's 2000 Guineas, one of the Classics held the month previous, but his condition for Derby day had improved greatly. Pinza was joint favourite in the betting ring, along with a horse named Premonition. Aureole, the Queen's horse, was a stable companion of Premonition and was also highly favoured at odds of 9-1. Pinza was a massive colt of over 16 hands, a huge size for a flat thoroughbred, and he looked in tremendous shape as he was led around the parade ring. He had fined down considerably and was in the peak of his life, but Premonition also looked to be in excellent form, whilst the impetuous Aureole was as bad tempered as ever. The jockeys mounted and their steeds were led onto the famous Epsom Downs to the start of the one and a half mile course, to the delight of the crowd. The field lined up at the tape and the starter sent them away.

City Scandal, a rank outsider set the early lead, but after a quarter of a mile the Aga Khan's horse, Shikampur was in front. Shikampur was making a brave attempt, and he still led coming down the Epsom hill, but the rest of the field were four lengths down, some biding their time, some just trying to stay on terms. But Premonition, the joint favourite, was badly placed, and down the hill coming round the famous Tattenham Corner, Richards guided Pinza through an opening on the rails to move up into second place. But they had already gone round the turn for home, and the baying crowd along the home-straight were beginning to grow in fervour, excited, beginning to shout for their horse. Still Shikampur led, a gallant attempt, and whilst his effort was showing and his pace began to falter, Richards on Pinza was still in second place. Pinza was gaining, Richards' unique style in evidence as his iron will pushed the mighty Pinza on, but Aureole was coming from behind, and at three furlongs remaining it looked as if the Queen's horse was still in with a mighty chance.

The crowd were now in full cry, "Come on Pinza! Come on Gordon!" were the shouts from the crowd. Shikampur battled on, his coat glistening from the effort, and as the roar of the crowd made almost all else inaudible, still the two front runners could hear the wrath of the King's horse, Aureole, bearing down on them. But Pinza, running as fast as he had ever had done, swept past the Aga Khan's valiant horse with two furlongs left. Aureole, his nostrils flared under the immense effort, moved into second place, but Pinza, guided by the incredible will of Richards, galloped on, his hooves pounding like thunder on the Epsom turf. Aureole could not catch them. Sir Gordon knew that he and Pinza were unstoppable, an irresistible force, as they raced for home. They crossed the post to the huge cheers of the public. The peoples champion had won the greatest prize; the Derby, at last, was his. Led through the frenzy of the crowd, Pinza and Richards made their way to the winners enclosure, before being summoned for congratulations from the Queen and the adoration of the public.

Such was the story of the Donnington Wood born jockey, who won his greatest prize 50 years ago this month. Fairy-tales are often told, without the explanation of the years of effort before the hero finds their riches. Gordon Richards was born in Ivy Row, known to the locals as Potato Row in Donnington Wood, on 5 May 1904. The son of a miner, Gordon attended Donnington Wood Infants school before the family moved. His mother was a shrewd lady, and with money they had saved they moved the family of eight brothers and sisters to a four-acre plot in Wrockwardine Wood and built three houses which were later known as the Limes. The investment would mean that they would be able to live in number one, which still stands today on Wrockwardine Wood's Plow Road, and let the remaining two houses out. It was here that the young Gordon fostered his love of horses, for his father kept several pit ponies and Gordon would ride them bare-back from an early age. He admitted himself that he was always fond of being with the horses whenever possible and his small size added to his promising talent.

Gordon shared with his family a very happy home life. Along with his brothers, of whom Colin and Clifford also held Gordon's love of horses, the family used to run a pony and trap service from Wrockwardine Wood to Oakengates railway station. Gordon was still only a young boy of seven, but his passengers always felt comfortable with him at the reins. By the time he was 13, Gordon left school and began working for the Lilleshall Company at its New Yard Works in St. Georges. He worked as a junior clerk and found it a very happy place with many friendly people. Sometimes, he even used to ride a pony to work and leave it tied up in a nearby field, before riding it home again at the end of the day. The others who worked at the Lilleshall Company noted Gordon's love of horses. At 15 he had unsuccessfully written to a racehorse trainer for an interview to be a stable lad, but in the same year two of his young colleagues, Stella Plant and Chrissie Crofts, spotted an advert in a local paper for a stable lad with the racehorse trainer Martin Hartigan at Foxhill, Wiltshire, and persuaded Gordon to apply.

Gordon had made up his mind exactly what he wanted to do with his life; he wanted to be a jockey like his hero Steve Donoghue, a great champion of the day. Chrissie and Stella helped Gordon compose his application, and without a word to his family, he sent his letter away. Gordon had a reply, and it was good news. He was to report to Mr. Hartigan in the New Year of 1920 for a month's trial as a stable lad. Life often has its turning points, and it is such events that make real the belief that life is influenced by fate. "The two girls put their heads together and wrote my application for me. I shall never forget them. You see, in a way they started my career for me," Gordon was to say in later life. On 1 January 1920 Gordon walked through the cold with his father to Oakengates train station. The walk was a very emotional one. His parents had only recently discovered his ambition to move away, and whilst he was determined to fulfill his dream, he was very sad to leave his happy home life behind.

His move was made all the harder, for Gordon had never been away from home before for any period of time. Whilst leaving home was difficult for the young Gordon Richards, he soon found his feet with Mr. Hartigan. It was a Mr. Jimmy White who owned the stables where Hartigan trained, and as a wealthy entrepreneur Mr. White filled his house every weekend with his guests. This must have been an interesting time for a young son of an Oakengates miner. In the cut and thrust world of racing, getting a mount was no easy job, but Gordon managed to get one of his earliest rides through his fortunes at another game that was close to his heart: football. A match had been arranged between Martin Hartigan's stable lads and Martin's brothers' team from the nearby Ogbourne stables. Mr. White had his money on his home team, but with five minutes remaining the score was three-all. The Foxhill stable gained a late penalty, and Mr. White insisted that Gordon to take it. As an incentive, he promised him a ride the following day at Lincoln if Gordon should score. Gordon must have been thinking about the Wolves, his favourite team, as he struck the ball.

It flew straight into the net. The game went to Foxhill and Gordon got his ride. He wasn't placed at Lincoln the following day, but he rode well and it wasn't long before his first win came on Gay Lord at Leicester on 31 March 1921. A will to win is all very well, but it must also be enforced with a single-mindedness to prepare. It was with this attitude that Gordon went into his first season as a fully-fledged jockey in 1925, after a move to the stables of Tommy Hogg under the ownership of Lord Glanely. Gordon notched up 118 wins and became Champion jockey in his very first year, the jockey who had been most successful that season. Things could hardly have gone better for a young jockey in his first year, a 21 year old with the world at his feet. But the following year, disaster struck for his career. Gordon had been feeling unwell, and under examination abnormalities were discovered on his lungs and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Any disappointment he might have felt at having his career cut short was overtaken by the realization that he needed to get well.

Gordon was sent to a sanatorium in Mundesley, Norfolk, in May of that year in an attempt to improve his condition. Again, fate had an impact on the life of Gordon Richards. Whilst at the sanatorium he met a gentleman by the name of Bill Rowell, a fellow patient. Rowell was older than the young Richards, but he was to have a great influence on his life. "I was a youth who was still rough at the edges," noted Gordon, who despite his claim had still managed to shoot to fame by his incredible success the year before. But Bill Rowell taught Gordon how to live, and in Gordon's words, "how to live graciously". This especially helped Gordon to cope with the riches, popularity and high society that he would live with in future. Rowell was even made a Godfather of one of Gordon's children, his daughter Marjorie, such was his regard. By December, Gordon had largely recovered and began his preparations for the racing season ahead.

The next season in 1927 was as successful as his first, and Richards regained the title of Champion jockey, a title in fact he held thereon every year until his retirement in 1953 with the exception of two seasons racing. Richards' riding style was said to be unorthodox, with a long rein and upright stance; he would turn almost sideways when he was pushing his horse at its hardest. It can be said that this style was developed whilst riding his fathers pit ponies at an early age. "I can't remember ever being told how to ride," said Gordon, "I just got on a pony's back and away I went". By 1932 Gordon began riding for the famous Fred Darling, the Beckhampton trainer who was the leading trainer of the day. Such was the success of the partnership that in the following year Gordon managed to notch up 259 wins and beat the record, held by the great Fred Archer, that had stood since 1885. Gordon was noted as being kind and generous, and to commemorate his achievement, he returned to the area from his home in Wiltshire to present the schoolchildren of Wrockwardine Wood with a celebratory mug.

Richards could only improve, and whilst success in the classics didn't come easy, in 1942 he won four of the five classics, all on horses owned by the King. It was reputed that Gordon never lost touch with his roots, and was a down to earth and honest man, unchanged by his incredible success. As his victories increased, so did his fame and popularity. Everybody from fellow jockeys to the press and the public loved Gordon for his ability and his standing as a man. "Wherever we went, people stopped him for his autograph," recalls his daughter Marjorie, "although he was very down to earth, very modest and never wanted publicity". Gordon had grown up with a very happy home, and his own family life reflected this. "He was strict," says Marjorie, "but we always had fun, and my father loved playing jokes". Like his time developing as young man at the estate of Mr. Jimmy White, the Richards' family home was often busy with trainers and owners and during the war he even organized concerts for the effort featuring the likes of the Crazy Gang. And they say that behind every great man lies a great woman.

"My mother Margery was a great support to him," notes his daughter. "He wouldn't have got anywhere without her, she supported him in everything he did." In 1947 Gordon Richards won the Classic race the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket again, this time riding Tudor Minstrel to a record margin of eight lengths. As a result, Tudor Minstrel was obviously highly favoured for the pinnacle of the season, the Derby, to take place the following month. Whilst Tudor Minstrel had dominated the straight one mile race held over Newmarket's historic Rowley Mile, he failed to stay the extra half mile for the Derby. It was starting to look like the greatest prize in racing would elude the greatest jockey of the day. Richards' trainer Fred Darling retired at the end of the same year, so Gordon moved under a new retainer to the trainer Noel Murless. Whilst his success continued, still the Derby eluded Richards, and for the next five years he remained unplaced in the greatest race of all. The Epsom Downs always had a sporting tradition, and as well as hunting; King Charles II enjoyed racing horses across the grassy plain.

The tradition continued, and as a result of a "roystering party," held by the downs at the country house of Lord Derby in 1780, the race as we know it today was created. Its history and tradition demanded respect, and no other race was held in the same esteem. As a boy who would have dreamed of someday riding in such a race, let alone winning it, it is easy to imagine the passion and romance of the Derby that captured Gordon's heart. He planned to retire in 1954, but as it happened an accident left Gordon with a broken pelvis which ended his career. The 1953 race would be his last. 1953 had seen a great many events: the Queen's Coronation, the first successful ascent of Everest, Stanley Mathews' FA cup winners medal and Sir Gordon's Knighthood. It was very fitting that Sir Gordon would cap the year, and indeed his career, with his greatest victory. But the occasion and romance of the Derby continued: Fred Darling, the previous trainer and partner to the success of Richards and the man who had bred Pinza, died just four days after the race.

And as his riding career ended in 1954, the next year he began his new vocation as a trainer. Sir Gordon always had his work cut out if he was going to achieve the same success at the track-side as he did as a rider, but he did train Pipe of Peace, the champion two year old colt of 1956, and Reform, who was the leading miler of 1967. He retired from training in 1970 but continued to work in an advisory role for some years. Throughout his life Sir Gordon never abandoned his roots. He worked hard for success throughout his life, and whilst fame and fortune failed to change him, he remembered to help those who had helped him through his life. He mentioned how he dreamt of fame as a boy, and how he wanted to provide his parents with the comfort they deserved. His generosity also extended to the local area, as his funds helped to create the Dispensary for Sick animals in Oakengates. Sadly, the dispensary was later forced to closed owing to a lack of funds, though certainly not through the fault of Sir Gordon.

He is also still celebrated around these parts: the Champion Jockey pub at Donnington is named after him, and the Oakengates theatre has its Pinza suite. Sir Gordon died on 10 November 1988, and his record number of victories in a season has only recently been beaten by jump jockey Tony McCoy. Whilst it must be acknowledged that McCoy is a great jockey, modern jockeys can use aircraft and helicopters to get to many more races than was previously possible. In Sir Gordon's early days he even had to walk his steed to the train station before each race! Through his career Sir Gordon Richards won 14 Classics, rode a record number of 12 consecutive winners and attained a career tally of 4,870 victories, a figure unlikely ever to be beaten. So whilst watching the Derby this month, let us remember one of the great heroes of our area, and his achievements on the horse and also his achievements as a man. This article was first published in "The Wellington News" and appears here with its kind permission.

Alex Byles Equine Kingdom - August Horse History 1 - 1945: Open racing resumed in place of the war-time restricted, or zoned, system in England. 2 - 1864: America's oldest Thoroughbred racetrack, Saratoga Racecourse, opened its inaugural meet with four days of racing. Since then it has been the site of some of racing's most famous upsets. Man o' War suffered his only loss in 21 starts while racing at Saratoga, and Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox was defeated by a 100-1 shot named Jim Dandy in Saratoga's 1930 Travers, prompting the track to be called "the graveyard of favorites." 1969: Jockey Robyn Smith, one of the first female jockeys in the U.S., won her first career race, at Ferndale. 3 - 1971: The yearling Secretariat was shod on his front feet for the first time and transferred to the Meadow training center for breaking.

1989: Jockey Jorge Velasquez notched his 6,000th career victory aboard three-year-old filly Maddie Bumpo in the third race at Arlington International Racecourse. 2000: Fred. W. Hooper, who won the 1945 Kentucky Derby with the first horse he ever owned and went on to develop one of Florida's leading racing and breeding operations, died in his sleep in Miami, at the age of 102 4 - 1973: In his first race against older horses, 1-10 favorite Secretariat was defeated in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga by Allen Jerkens' four-year-old trainee Onion, who beat him by a length. Secretariat was subsequently found to be suffering from a virus. 5 1988: Trainer Dale Baird won his 5,000th career race with Stuffed Johnnie at Mountaineer Park, becoming the second trainer in history, behind Jack Van Berg, to reach that mark. 6 1951: The National Museum of Racing opened in Congress Park at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

More than 2,000 people attended the opening ceremonies presided over by C.V. Whitney. 2001: Jockey Earlie Fires; trainers Richard Mandella and Tom Smith; horse of yesteryear, Maskette; contemporary female horse, Paseana; and contemporary male horse, Holy Bull were inducted into Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 7 1900 - 'Sunny' Jim Fitzsimmons had his first horse race victory as Agnes D won at Brighton Beach Race Track in New York. By the end of his illustrious 50-year career, Fitzsimmons logged more than 2,000 winners. 1988: Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye won his 4,000th race aboard a two-year-old filly named Fawn and Hahn in the fourth race at Del Mar. 8 1970: Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his 6,000th career victory, aboard Shining Count at Del Mar.

1987: Kent Desormeaux set the record for most stakes wins by an apprentice jockey, 13, aboard King's Snow in the Primer Stakes at Pimlico. The previous record, 10, was held by Steve Cauthen. 9 1999: Trainer, D. Wayne Lukas; jockey Russell Baze, and horses Miesque, Exceller and Gun Bow were inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 10 1954 - Sir Gordon Richards announced his retirement as a racing jockey to become a trainer. Sir Gordon rode 4,870 winners into the winner's circle in his 34-year racing career. 1868: "The Dinner Party Stakes," devised by a group of seven influential Thoroughbred owners after a dinner at Saratoga a few days before, was advertised with a request for nominations. The stakes race, designed to showcase racing in Baltimore, was to be run two years hence, in 1870, at the yet-to-be-built Pimlico Racecourse.

1982: Mary Russ became the first female rider to surpass the $1 million mark in earnings when she finished third aboard Bammer in the fourth race at Saratoga Racecourse. 1996: Cigar was denied a 17th straight victory when longshot Dare and Go passed him in the stretch of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. 2002: Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day became the leading money-winning rider in history with $264,580,968 in purse earnings after guiding With Anticipation to victory in the Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap at Saratoga. The previous mark was $264,351,679 set by Chris McCarron. 11 1943 - Benjamin F. White became the first four-time winner of the Hambletonian. White rode Solo Song to the win in a field of 11 racehorses. 1972: In preparation for his stakes-racing debut, the Aug. 16 Sanford at Saratoga Racecourse, Secretariat worked five furlongs in :59.

12 1943: Representatives of Suffolk Downs donated $625,000 to the National War Fund, the single largest contribution by any sports venue in support of the war effort. Six weeks later, an additional $10,885 was contributed. The track had held an 18-day War Charity meet to fund the donation. 1938: In a $25,000 winner-take-all match race, Seabiscuit defeated Ligaroti by a nose at Del Mar. The race pitted father against son, with Charles S. Howard, owner of Seabiscuit, competing with his son Lin, who owned Ligaroti in partnership with crooner Bing Crosby. The race was so closely contested that the jockey for Ligaroti, Noel Richardson, kept rider George Woolf in a leg-lock for part of the stretch run. 2000: Hallowed Dreams, bidding to surpass the record of 16 consecutive wins she co-owned with Cigar and Citation, finished third in the Millennium Stakes at Evangeline Downs.

13 1919 - The previously undefeated racehorse, Man o' War, was upset -- by Upset -- at Saratoga, NY. This turn of events so upset Man o' War that the horse never lost a race again. Man o' War proved to be quite the stud, as well. After wining 1,300 races, he sired 379 foals. The stud fee for Man o' War was $5,000. 1938: Mary Hirsch became the first woman to train a Travers Stakes winner when she sent Thanksgiving to victory for owner Anne Corning. 1951: At odds of 2-1, Greentree Stable's Tom Fool won his maiden race by four lengths at Saratoga Racecourse. 14 1942: One of racing's oddities occurred at Saratoga Racecourse when Rurales and Joe Burger finished in a dead-heat for first place, giving trainer W.O. Hicks, who saddled both horses, two winners in one race.

15 1972: The 15-race winning streak of England's Brigadier Gerard was ended by John Galbreath's American-bred Roberto, ridden to a three-length victory by Braulio Baeza in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup at York Racecourse. Brigadier Gerard, who finished second in the Gold Cup, went on to post two more victories before retiring with a record of 18-17-1-0. 1987: Kent Desormeaux began his career as a journeyman jockey 2000: Jockey Russell Baze rode three winners at Bay Meadows and surged past Angel Cordero into fifth place on the list of all-time winning riders with 7,059 victories 16 - 1930: Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox was beaten by 100-1 shot Jim Dandy in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse.

1946: Rockingham Park began to film its races from the vantage of a helicopter, using the equipment as a "mechanical patrol judge." 1954: Native Dancer concluded his 22-race career with a victory in the Oneonta Handicap, a non-betting exhibition race at Saratoga Racecourse that he won by nine lengths while carrying 137 pounds. Although he raced only three times in 1954, Native Dancer was subsequently voted Horse of the Year, partly because he had been denied that honor in the previous year, despite having won nine of 10 races, all of them stakes. Tom Fool, 1953 Horse of the Year, had had a perfect 10-for-10 record. 1965: John Longden rode his 6,000th winner, riding Prince Scorpion to victory while at Exhibition Park. 1972: Secretariat won his first stakes race, the Sanford Stakes, at Saratoga Racecourse. The time for the six-furlong race was 1:10, the fastest time for the distance at Saratoga that year.

1976: John Campo swept the top three spots in the Adirondack Stakes with his trainees Harvest Girl, Bonnie Empress and Drama Critic. 17 - 1918 - The famous race horse, Man o' War, was sold at auction for $5,000. Samuel Riddle became the thoroughbred's new owner. 1918: Samuel D. Riddle purchased the yearling Man o' War for $5,000 in a sale of August Belmont II's bloodstock at Saratoga. 1977: Jockey Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed for the first time, winning the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse by 2 3/4 lengths. 2000: Zippy Chippy, loser of all 86 of his lifetime races, was defeated again--this time by minor-league baseball player Jose Herrera in a 40-yard dash.

The race, called the "2000 Red Wings Derby," was held prior to a home game of the International League's Rochester Red Wings 18 1923: The Jockey Club announced that the owner of Papyrus, winner of the Epsom Derby, had accepted an invitation to compete in an international match race in the U.S., against an American horse. Zev, winner of the 1923 Kentucky Derby, was chosen to represent the U.S. against Papyrus in the race, scheduled for October. 1961: Trainer Dale Baird saddled his first winner, New York, at Ellis Park. 2002: Sunday Silence, the 1989 Horse of Year who later became a perennial leading sire in Japan, died after suffering a fatal heart attack today at the Shadai Stallion Station on the isle of Hokkaido in Japan. 19 1978: In the conclusion of their 10-race rivalry, Alydar scored his third "success" against Affirmed in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse, when his adversary was disqualified from first place.

1990: Jockey Earlie Fires became the eleventh rider in Thoroughbred racing history to register 5,000 victories when he guided Tex's Zing to victory in the ninth race at Arlington International Racecourse. He joined history-making jockeys Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay Jr., Angel Cordero Jr., John Longden, Jorge Velasquez, Larry Snyder, Sandy Hawley, Dave Gall, Carl Gambardella and Chris McCarron. 20 1966: Ogden Phipps' Buckpasser, ridden by Braulio Baeza, became racing's first three-year-old millionaire after he won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse. 2000: Ron Ardoin became the 16th jockey in North America to win 5,000 races when he guided Heart of an Angel to a three-length victory in the seventh race at Louisiana Downs. 21 22 1954 - Native Dancer, with career earnings of $785,240, was retired from horse racing.

A foot ailment put the famous horse -- fourth on the all-time thoroughbred winner's list -- out to pasture. 1972: In preparation for his next start, the Aug. 26 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse, Secretariat worked a half-mile in :46 2/5. 1998: Hall of Fame trainer Woodford Cefis "Woody" Stephens died in Miami Lakes, Fla. He was 84. 23 1956: Carl Gambardella had his first career winner, aboard Rollin Warm, at Hagerstown. 1974: Frank Whiteley-trained Ruffian won the Spinaway Stakes by 13 lengths at Saratoga Racecourse, ending her two-year-old season with a 5-for-5 record. Ruffian was subsequently voted champion juvenile filly of 1974. 24 1968: Carrying 134 pounds, Dr. Fager set the then-world record for a mile in the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park. The time for his 10-length victory was 1:32 1/5.

The previous record was 1:32 3/5, set by three-year-old Buckpasser on June 25, 1966 at Arlington Park. 1989: Jockey Larry Snyder won his 6,000th career race, aboard a filly named Speedski, in the first race at Louisiana Downs. Snyder was the sixth rider in history to accomplish that feat. 25 1987: Julie Krone gained her 1,000th career victory, aboard Tiger Higgins in the second race at Monmouth Park. 1997: Jockey Pat Day gained his 7,000th career victory aboard Bay Harbor in the second race at Saratoga Racecourse. Day became the fifth rider to reach the 7,000-win plateau. 2001: A record Travers Stakes day attendance of 60,486 watched Point Given win the race dubbed the "Midsmummer Derby." The day's total betting handle of $34,529.273 was also a Saratoga record.

26 1984 - John Henry, a nine-year-old gelding, came from behind to win the $600,000 Arlington Million race in suburban Chicago, IL. The lifetime earnings of the famous horse reached $5,482,797. 1953: A syndicate headed by Howard E. Booker of San Francisco, unveiled a proposal for an off-track betting system in New York. Booker's group, planning to use Western Union to compile off-track bets, sought to establish 139 betting offices, to be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 1972: Secretariat won the Hopeful Stakes by five lengths at Saratoga Racecourse, for his second stakes win in as many tries 27 1953: The Thoroughbred Racing Associations denounced a plan for off-track betting in New York. John A.

Morris, the TRA president, declared: "Although it could mean increased profits for the race tracks, off-course betting would inevitably subordinate racing and bring on an adverse public reaction which would kill a traditionally great sport and an economically significant industry." 28 - 1988: A winning ride aboard Precisionist in the Cabrillo Handicap at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club made Chris McCarron the fifth jockey to surpass $100 million in career earnings. 2001: A study commissioned by Churchill Downs showed that this year's renewal of the Kentucky Derby had a $218-million impact on the regional economy. 29 1987: Charlie Whittingham became the first trainer to surpass 500 stakes wins when he sent Ferdinand to victory in the Cabrillo Handicap at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. 1993: Laffit Pincay Jr., 46, became the second rider in North American racing history to ride 8,000 winners when he rode El Toreo to victory in the seventh race at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Bill Shoemaker was the first to hit 8,000, a feat he accomplished in 1981 at age 49. 30 1981: Bill Shoemaker became the first jockey to win a $1 million race when he rode John Henry to a nose victory over The Bart in the inaugural Arlington Million at Arlington Park. 31 1955 - Nashua defeated Swaps in a match-up of the thoroughbred horses at Arlington Park in Chicago, IL. 1955: In an East versus West showdown, Nashua, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, went wire-to-wire to defeat Swaps, ridden by Bill Shoemaker in a match race at Washington Park. Nashua's victory avenged his second-place finish, behind Swaps, in the 1955 Kentucky Derby. 1985: Angel Cordero Jr., 42, became the third rider in history_behind Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr._to have his mounts earn $100 million, while riding at Belmont Park.

Featured Articles about Horseracing - Page 4 - latimes FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT HORSERACING - PAGE 4 NATIONAL Lawyer Faints as Jury Acquits His Clients March 26, 2006 | From Times Wire Reports Former Erie Mayor Rick Filippi and two of his business associates were acquitted on charges that they used inside information to benefit from real estate deals. The verdict so overwhelmed defense attorney Leonard Ambrose that he fainted as the Washington County jury was announcing its decision on the first count against Filippi. Filippi and his associates were accused of conspiring to use his position as mayor to invest in real estate near the proposed site of a horse-racing and casino complex. Advertisement Outside the box January 27, 2008 | Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today. An easy week for no-brainer cartoons. Monday: Dreamy remembrance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Tuesday: No cartoon because of King holiday. Wednesday: A Democratic debate required dropping horse-racing cliche in favor of prizefighting cliche.

Thursday: Changed down-and-dirty politics to mud wrestling, with a Bill Clinton tag-team reference. Friday: Pick a scary economic metaphor. Some transcended the obvious. NEWS British Jockey Champ, 82, Dies November 10, 1986 | From Reuters Sir Gordon Richards, one of the most successful jockeys in horse-racing history, died today at the age of 82, a family spokesman said. Richards, Britain's champion jockey 26 times, rode a record 4,870 winners in a 35-year career. He turned to training racehorses when he retired in 1954. His victories included 14 in English classic races. He won the St. Leger five times, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas three times each, the Oaks twice and the Derby once. NEWS Betting Measure Fails to Qualify November 6, 1991 | From a Times Staff Writer Organizers of an initiative to legalize sports betting in California said Tuesday they failed to obtain the required 698,958 petition signatures to qualify for a spot on next June's ballot.

"Over the weekend, it became apparent we weren't going to make it," acknowledged Bill Mashburn, treasurer of Californians to Reform Gambling. Under the law, the group had until 5 p.m. Monday to submit signatures to election officials. Mashburn said the group fell about 200,000 signatures shy of the goal. NEWS Bell's Rizzo ordered to stand trial for conflict of interest, one charge dismissed March 16, 2011 | By Corina Knoll, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly becoming financially involved in a horse-racing business with a contractor who did millions of dollars of business for the city. A second count alleging Rizzo misappropriated public funds through his relationship with Dennis Tarango was dismissed. Tarango served as the city's planning director and also did engineering work for the city. He and Rizzo were partners in Golden Aggie Ranch Inc., which has since gone out of business. BUSINESS Apparel stores for short men are getting harder to find March 31, 2010 | By Sharon Bernstein The marketplace for short men's clothing is, well, shrinking.

With Americans growing taller, and recessionary pressure in the specialty clothing market, it's become harder than ever to find apparel stores for short men. Just a few now remain of the dozens that dotted the national landscape years ago. Actor Ben Giroux can tell you all about it. "To shop for clothes as a short man is one of the most aggravating things you can try to do,"... SPORTS THE SIDELINES : $27 Million in Horse, Dog Tests September 17, 1990 | From Times Wire Services More than $27 million was spent in 1989 in testing greyhounds and horses for the illegal use of drugs, according to a racing organization. A report released by the Assn. of Racing Commissioners International's Drug Testing and Quality Assurance Program found that 48 racing jurisdictions spent $27.6 million to detect the illegal use of drugs. New York, which races only horses, was the leader with $6.2 million in testing. California, which also has only horse races, was next with $2. OPINION Racing to disaster August 8, 2006 Re "Horse Racing Is Having a Breakdown," Aug.

5 The problem with racing 3-year-old horses is racing 3-year-old horses, not the footing. The horse-racing people have been fooling themselves, saying it's OK to push an animal to its maximum, before its bones are fully developed; any serious, informed horse person could tell you that that is a dangerous gamble. Horse racing is tantamount to cock fighting, but Hollywood and the rich have glamorized the one and not the other. Harrumph! Footing indeed! CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Bookmaking Probe Results in 7 Arrests February 4, 1992 Seven people were arrested when police broke up an alleged bookmaking ring in South Los Angeles that is reported to have handled about $30,000 a week in horse-racing bets, authorities said Monday. Officers arrested a woman and six men Friday, including 70-year-old Joe (Derby) Brown, the suspected boss, said Capt. F.G. Lewallen of the Police Department's Vice Division. The raids wrapped up a 10-week investigation. The suspects, all from Los Angeles, were held on suspicion of bookmaking.

Featured Articles about Jockeys - Page 2 - latimes FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JOCKEYS - PAGE 2 SPORTS Jockey Documentary Dedicated to Venezia March 15, 1989 | BILL CHRISTINE "A Cup of Courage--The Jockeys' Story," a 48-minute videocassette produced by Jericho Pictures of Pasadena, is a documentary dedicated to jockey Mike Venezia. Some of the proceeds from sale of the documentary will go to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockeys' Fund, which was established to help injured riders. MacBeth was a leading rider who died of cancer. In the documentary, Laffit Pincay, Angel Cordero, Chris McCarron and others talk about the dangers of riding horses. Advertisement Hoosier Park Jockeys Refuse to Ride November 14, 2004 | Bill Christine, Times Staff Writer Jockeys' unrest over insurance costs took on a new dimension at Churchill Downs-owned Hoosier Park on Friday night, when 14 riders refused to ride and forced the track in Anderson, Ind., to cancel its 12-race card.

With at least 14 jockeys available, Hoosier Park resumed racing Saturday night with 13 races, including a $100,000 stake. Rick Moore, president of Hoosier Park, was told by the jockeys Friday night that they weren't riding because of concerns about the track's inner safety rail. SPORTS Churchill Jockeys Denied '47' Patch November 4, 1994 | BILL CHRISTINE Jockeys at Churchill Downs have been denied permission by the stewards to ride in the Breeders' Cup races Saturday with a "47" boot patch that stands for the number of permanently disabled riders nationally. Jockeys in New York and California will be allowed to wear the patches, but at Churchill the three stewards said that riders "who individually elect to wear the emblem may be subject to disciplinary action." Racing rules vary slightly from state to state.

SPORTS Jockey Removed Amid Boycott Threat November 8, 2004 | Bill Christine, Times Staff Writer Jockey Shane Sellers, who has won more than 4,000 races, many of them at Churchill Downs, was escorted from the Louisville track in handcuffs Sunday by track security, preventing him from participating in an informational meeting with fellow riders about their insurance coverage. No charges were filed, and no official reason was given for his removal. SPORTS Dettori Thought Jockeys Were 'Dead' June 3, 2000 | BILL CHRISTINE "We're dead, mate. This is it. We're gone." That's what jockey Frankie Dettori said to colleague Ray Cochrane as their light plane crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday, not far from Newmarket Racecourse in England. The pilot, Patrick Mackey, was killed, while Dettori and Cochrane were able to scramble from the flaming wreckage. Surgeons inserted two screws into Dettori's right leg, fusing a broken ankle, and he probably won't resume riding until August.

NEWS British Jockey Champ, 82, Dies November 10, 1986 | From Reuters Sir Gordon Richards, one of the most successful jockeys in horse-racing history, died today at the age of 82, a family spokesman said. Richards, Britain's champion jockey 26 times, rode a record 4,870 winners in a 35-year career. He turned to training racehorses when he retired in 1954. His victories included 14 in English classic races. He won the St. Leger five times, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas three times each, the Oaks twice and the Derby once. SPORTS Horse Falls, 3 Jockeys Are Injured November 25, 1991 | BILL CHRISTINE, TIMES STAFF WRITER Jockey Amir Cedeno suffered a broken pelvis and Corey Nakatani and Alex Solis, two of the leading riders in the nation, escaped with lesser injuries Sunday after a three-horse spill during the fourth race at Hollywood Park.

Solis' mount, Ask The Man, was in fifth place when he broke down coming out of the turn for home. Snoboy, ridden by Cedeno, was unable to avoid Ask The Man in front of him, and went down, rolling over on Cedeno. SPORTS Races in Chicago Canceled as Jockeys Refuse to Ride March 12, 1992 | Associated Press The last six races at Sportsman's Park on Wednesday were canceled when jockeys refused to ride on the weather-battered track. Races were canceled after the third race when the jockeys walked out. They refused to comment on their reasons for leaving. Races also were canceled Tuesday after the jockeys walked out. "I think they just feel that the track was unsafe," said Scott Hayden, Sportsman's marketing director. SPORTS Jockey Valenzuela to Undergo Surgery Today December 30, 1988 Jockey Pat Valenzuela, who was kicked by a horse after his mount fell during a race at Santa Anita Wednesday, is scheduled to undergo surgery on broken bones in his left cheek today at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia.

Valenzuela, who also suffered a concussion, was reported to be dazed Thursday, and doctors said they were unsure about the length of his recuperation after surgery. SPORTS Jockey Olguin Fractures Leg at Hollypark June 2, 1988 Apprentice jockey Jerry Olguin suffered a hairline fracture of the right leg Wednesday when his fourth-race Hollywood Park mount, I Tryalot Too, flipped over in the starting gate, officials said. Olguin, who won his first U.S. race Monday aboard Emperador Al Norte in the first race at Hollywood Park, was treated at Centinela Hospital Medical Center where he will remain Wednesday night for observation.

Question: Sir Gordon Richards retired from horse racing having ridden 4,870 winners in August of which year?
Answer: 1954